Women Born Transsexual

The recent spate of suicides by young people who are lesbian, gay, bi or trans or perceived as such by their peers is heartbreaking. It is also a call to action.

We stand with all those stepping forward in solidarity with LGBT youth against the bashers, the bullies. We add our voices to the chorus telling our beautiful, precious children and teens: “Hang in there. It will get better.” But we say something else, too. Our message to the youth, LGBT and straight allies alike, is: Join us in the struggle.

It is the struggle that will overturn LGBT oppression. It is the struggle that will do away with ignorance and homophobia. It is the struggle, the mass movement for LGBT liberation over the last 50-plus years, that has already raised consciousness tremendously — that’s why there is such an outcry, such an outpouring of support in response to the recent attacks and the suicides. Most people now support full rights for the LGBT community. With more struggle, more will be won over.

Furthermore — and here we want to step out of our editorial box and speak directly to any individual youth whom this message may reach, any young person whose daily school or home life is made miserable by taunting, teasing, physical assault, isolation — if you join the struggle, your own life will improve.

For the struggle is liberating. It strengthens you. It shows you that you’re not alone. It provides you with friends and comrades. Through the struggle you find your skills, your power, your righteous rage, and, most important, your voice. You are no longer silenced.

What do we mean by the struggle? We mean uniting with others fighting for the same goals — taking action, militant action, demanding what is right. It’s what the Civil Rights Movement did in the 1950s and 60s, when courageous people marched, sat in, did everything they could to overturn the racist Jim Crow laws. It’s what unions do when workers strike to defend their wages and benefits.

It’s what the LGBT movement has done for many years. For example, Oct. 11 was National Coming Out Day. This day commemorates the great March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights and Action on AIDS that took place on Oct. 11, 1987. Half a million people demonstrated demanding equal rights.

Thanks to actions like that, much has been won. In some states, same-sex couples can marry. In some states, anti-LGBT discrimination is illegal. The federal government, however, does not recognize same-sex marriage. There is no federal bar to discrimination based on sexual identity or gender expression. So there’s still much to do. It will take a great resurgence of national struggle, united with the movements against racism, for women’s rights, for union power, because unity is key to winning concrete victories for all — but it can be done.

For every bully, for every homophobe who calls you names and tries to make you feel hopeless and small, there are millions who support you, wish you well, are fighting back against the bashers and bigots. There’s a place for you here with us, striding side by side with sisters and brothers who’ve got your back. This is the power of the struggle. It’ll save your life.

Articles copyright 1995-2010 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.

One more reason why The New York Times is the last real national newspaper in the US even though they pander way too much to the rich.

Today’s New York Times Editorial:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/opinion/14thu1.html?_r=1&hp

The Obama administration professes to oppose the odious and misguided policy of banning gay soldiers from serving openly in the military. So it was distressing to hear that the Justice Department plans to appeal a federal court order that the military immediately stop enforcing the law that is used to drum out gay service members once their sexual orientation becomes known.

We believe the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law was wrong from the day it was passed 17 years ago. But, in any case, circumstances have changed radically. As Judge Virginia Phillips pointed out when she ruled it unconstitutional, the original premises for the policy have been proved wrong, and there is no longer any good reason for continuing to ruin people’s lives by enforcing it.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the policy should not be lifted abruptly because there are unresolved questions like whether straight and gay soldiers should share barracks and whether the military should pay benefits to partners of gay service members.

He said he wanted to wait until a review of practices and policies was submitted on Dec. 1.

There is no need to wait. The answer to both questions is: Yes. It would be a disaster if the military replaced this misbegotten policy with official segregation and discrimination.

Continue reading at:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/opinion/14thu1.html?_r=1&hp

Our slogan mongering President is all talk and no action.  “Hope and Change”.  WTF then are we stuck with someone who cowers in fear of saying a harsh word about a Republican while his lackeys savage his left/progressive base that busted their butts to get him elected?

I’m starting to wonder if Obama isn’t really J.C. Watts, except J.C. Watts is probably more progressive.  Is Obama a Democrat simply because the Republican Party is so racist that he wouldn’t have been able to climb the power structure as fast.

We have had an over-whelming majority in the Senate and have been stalled on almost every thing, yet Obama mostly shows us surrender.

He caved on ACORN, when ACORN along with groups like Move-On are the grass roots of the Democratic Party.

He has alienated LGBT/TQ folks, a constituency that votes something like 80-90% straight Democratic ticket.  Has done nothing to advance the Employee Free Choice Act and yet acts bewildered when Labor waffles on supporting him.

Enough with the Joe Cool, I too can be part of the wealthy corporate establishment act.  We elected Obama to take the country back from the fascists and neo-Nazis that destroyed in in the name of a failed ideological combination of conservatism and the Market Economy.

I’m tired of the excuses.  I’m tired of Obama’s failure to stand for basic Democratic Party principles.

People don’t vote because too often it seems we have one party running everything, the Corporate Party that represents the interests of the rich.  It has two wings the bigot and Nazi wing and the socially more moderate wing.

Left/liberal/progressive people have a small portion of the moderate party that sort of fight for us.  and the DLC/DNC waffles on supporting them.

From Alternet: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/10/14/the-top-12-lies-of-tony-perkins-and-the-family-research-council/

Posted by alvinmcewen at 4:47 am
October 14, 2010

Recently, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council published a piece in The Washington Post spouting his usual brand of anti-gay distortions.

And he was lambasted from all corners. From Box Turtle Bulletin, to Pam’s House Blend, to Media Matters. Even those responding to his post pointed out Perkins’s deceptive tactics of half-citing studies and relying on bad research.

Since I was ill yesterday, I missed the fun and games. It made me feel like Walter Payton finally making it to the Superbowl and not being able to score a touchdown.

But what happened yesterday was an unfortunate rare occurrence – a religious right figure caught red-handed publicly lying and called out for it. That’s a problem to me. Why does it happen so rarely?

What Perkins tried to do yesterday was not an anomaly. It happens all of the time. In their talking points, on their web pages, and even in their so-called research papers (usually done by one of their phony experts), religious right groups distort legitimate science or rely on junk science to create a false image of the lgbt community.

Continue reading at:  http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/10/14/the-top-12-lies-of-tony-perkins-and-the-family-research-council/

Alvin McEwen Blogs @

http://holybulliesandheadlessmonsters.blogspot.com/